NOM co-founder Maggie Gallagher's latest syndicated column:

In an appearance on Al Jazeera, I was asked: Why is gay marriage emerging as a big issue in the campaign?

Obviously economic issues dominate this year, as they do every bad economic year. But thanks to President Obama, the culture war is heating up as well.

For the first time, voters will be offered a clear contrast between a Democrat who supports what the courts are doing to marriage and a Republican who opposes it.

But the biggest reason gay marriage is emerging as an issue is because the federal courts are now pushing the culture wars, and Obama is cooperating with them:

Two judges of the most liberal court in America -- the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals -- just took away 7 million Californians' right to vote for marriage.

For those of us who fought hard to give voters this right, by helping put Proposition 8 on the ballot, this 2-1 divided opinion not only takes away their rights, but insults the good name of millions of decent, hardworking, law-abiding Americans. -- Human Events